f\  n 


.  f  "7  f 


Issued  March  19,  1910. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT   OF  AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  PLANT   INDUSTRY    -Circular  No.  49. 
B.  T    GALLOWAY,  Chief  ol  Bureau. 


MPROVEMENT  OF    PASTURES    IN   EASTERN 

NEW   TORE    AND   THE    NEW 

ENGLAND  STATES. 


BY 


J.  S.  COTTON. 
Assistant  A.gru  i  lti  rist,  Office  of  Farm  M  w  \<;'i  mi  \  i 


23351-1910 


WASHINGTON    :  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE    :   1910 


D#£uVMENTS  ^EPT 

1 

U.S.  DEPOSITORY 

[Cir.  49] 
2 


BUREAU  OF  PLANT  INDUSTRY. 


ij  Bureau,  Beverly  T.  Galloway. 
Assistant  Chief  of  Bureau,  G.  Harold  Powell. 

Editor,  J.  E.  Rockwell. 
Chief  Clerk,  James  E.  Jones. 


H.  P.  I 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  PASTURES  IN  EASTERN  NEW 
YORK  AND  THE  NEW  ENGLAND  STATES." 


INTRODUCTION. 

One  of  the  most  important  problems  confronting  farmers  in  the 
Eastern  States  is  the  improvement  of  worn-out  pastures.  This  is 
especially  true  in  eastern  New  York  and  the  New  England  States. 
The  pastures  in  this  region  are  of  two  general  types:  (1 )  Those  that 
are  smooth  enough  to  permit  cultivation  and  which,  if  so  desired, 
can  be  included  in  a  rotation  system,  and  (2)  those  that  are  too 
rough  and  too  rocky  to  permit  cultivation  and  can  only  be  utilized 
as  pastures  or  allowed  to  grow  up  to  timber.  Figures  have  not  been 
obtained  to  show  the  relative  percentage  of  these  two  types  of  pas- 
tures. In  eastern  New  York  it  is  probable  that  the  area  of  each  kind 
is  about  the  same.  In  the  New  England  States  the  country  is  more 
broken,  and  the  rough,  broken  pasture  land  that  must  always  remain 
as  such  great  l\   predominates. 

These  pastures  were  cleared  of  timber  from  fortj  i"  one  hundred 
years  a'_r".  depending  somewhat  on  the  locality  in  which  they  are 
situated.  For  the  most  part  they  were  allowed  to  sod  over  by  nat- 
ural processes.  So  far  a--  can  he  learned,  they  have  been  grazed 
continuously  from  earlj  spring  until  late  fall,  practically  to  their 
full  grazing  capacity,  ever  since  their  establishment.  During  this 
time  almost   no  improvement   in  the  way  of  fertilizing,  seeding,  or 


England  i~  primarily  a  region  of  live-stock  fanning,  for  the  mosl  pari  dairy- 
ing.   The  problem  of  the  old  pastures  of  thai  region  is  closely  associated  with  the 
■  rat  problem  of  producing  feed  for  dairy  cows  on  the  [arms  of  those  States.     In 
Farmers'  Bulletin  337,  entitled  "Cropping  Systems  for  Now   England  Dairy  Farms," 

it   was  |>ointo<l  out  that  much  of  the  tillable  land  in  this  region  could  !»•  made  re 

thou f  betl  ingsystems.     At  that  m  fully  realized 

that  the  matter  of  pastures  in  this  region  i  very  great  importance,  as  pasj 

tun-  occupy  a   I.  oi    the  area  of   the  average  dairy   farm.     After 

further  investigations  it  has  been  deemed  advisable  to  point  out  some  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  in  the  improvemenl  of  thes<  and  this  has  been  done  in 
th»  paper,  which  supplements  the  bulletin  mentioned.— A.  I'1.  \\  ■ 

[Clr.49]  3 


4  IMPROVEMENT   OF   PASTURES   IN   EASTERN    NEW   YORK,   ETC. 

keeping  the  weeds  down  has  been  attempted.  As  a  result  many  of 
these  pastures  have  been  so  badly  overgrazed  that  at  the  present 
time  they  do  not  produce  enough  feed  to  pay  for  maintaining  the 
fences,  let  alone  the  building  of  new  ones.  (See  PI.  I,  fig.  1.)  In 
many  cases  weeds  have  taken  complete  possession,  as  is  shown  in 
Plate  II,  figure  1.  In  a  number  of  instances  the  pastures  have  been 
entirely  abandoned  and  are  growing  up  to  young  timber. 

It  is  stated  that  this  depreciation  has  been  very  rapid  during  the 
last  twenty  years.  There  are  two  reasons  for  this:  First,  the  depre- 
ciation of  a  pasture  as  the  result  of  overgrazing  will  be  much  greater 
during  the  latter  half  or  even  quarter  of  the  period  grazed  than  in 
the  preceding  years.  Again,  with  the  increased  demand  for  dairy 
products  and  with  better  facilities  for  transportation  there  has  been  a 
decided  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  farmers  to  buy  western  grain  and 
raise  only  the  necessary  roughage  on  their  places.  This  has  enabled 
them  to  carry  much  more  stock.  With  this  increase  in  stock  there 
has  not  been  any  corresponding  increase  in  the  size  of  the  pastures, 
nor  has  there  been  any  attempt  to  increase  their  carrying  capacity. 

DAIRY  AND  BEEF  PASTURES  CONTRASTED. 

The  dairy  pastures  in  the  region  referred  to  have  depreciated  very 
greatly,  and  in  many  instances  to  the  extent  that  they  have  very 
little  value.  In  direct  contrast  there  are  numerous  beef-cattle  pas- 
tures in  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Virginia  of  the  same  age  that  are 
fully  as  productive  as  ever,  and  are  valued  at  $100  or  more  an  acre, 
even  when  located  20  to  30  miles  from  a  railroad.  •  In  the  northwestern 
part  of  Middlesex  County,  Ontario,  there  is  an  area  of  nearly  300,000 
acres  that  the  farmers,  owing  to  scarcity  of  labor,  have  rented  to 
cattle  grazers  for  fattening  export  cattle.  After  twenty  years' 
use  practically  all  of  these  pastures  are  as  good  as  ever,  and  in  many 
instances  have  actually  improved.  Care  is  taken  that  these  pastures 
shall  not  be  overgrazed.  If  such  pastures  show  any  tendency  to 
depreciation,  steps,  such  as  feeding  roughage  on  the  high  points  dur- 
ing the  winter  season  to  add  to  the  fertility,  the  application  of  lime 
and  bone  meal,  and  other  means  that  may  be  considered  necessary, 
are  immediately  taken  to  restore  them.  All  weeds  that  are  likely 
to  prove  dangerous  are  carefully  kept  out. 

In  the  corn  belt  men  buy  badly  worn  land  for  $25  an  acre,  and 
by  putting  it  into  pastures  and  feeding  cattle  on  it  are  able  to  build 
tip  this  land  so  that  in  from  five  to  ten  years  it  is  worth  from  $100  to 
$125  an  acre. 

A  comparison  of  eastern  pastures  with  those  of  the  corn  belt  is 
made  here  only  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  neglected  land  can  be 
built  up  when  utilized  as  pasture  and  fed  upon,  or,  in  other  words, 
[CIr.  r.i| 


■ 


Plate  I. 


Fig.  1.— Badly  Overgrazed  Dairy  Pastures  from  which  the  Valuable  Forage  Plants 
have  been  Practically  Exterminated. 


Fiq.  2. -Native   Beef  Pastures  the  Same  Age   as  those  Shown   in   Figure  1.  which 
have  never  been  overstocked. 


WORN-OUT     AND     PRODUCTIVE     PASTURES. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/impasOOunit 


[MPR0VEMEN1    OF   PASTURES    IN    I   VSTERN    NEW    i'ORK,    I  5 

when  fertilized,  and  can  be  made  worth  from  four  to  six  times  as 
much  as  n  was  preA  ious  to  the  building-up  pro.  i 

REASONS  FOR  THE  DETERIORATION  OF  DAIRY  PASTURES. 

At  lirst  glance  it  would  seem  thai  the  difference  between  beef  pas- 
tures and  the  eastern  New  York  and  New  England  dairj  pastures  is 
due  to  difference  of  soil  conditions.  However,  we  find  pastures 
within  a  slmrt  distance  of  the  highly  productive  ones  and  on  the  same 
soil  that  have  been  almost  denuded  of  their  original  vegetation  and 
that  are  do  more  productive  than  the  one  shown  in  Plate  1.  figure  1. 
Again,  in  a  few  instances  small  protected  areas  have  been  found  in 
the  New  ^  oik  and  New  England  region  that  are  producing  a  large 
quantity  of  feed.  In  fact,  one  such  area  has  been  found  near  the 
pasture  shown  in  Plate  I.  figure  1,  hut  where  the  soil  was  not  as  deep. 

The  investigations  that  have  been  carried  on  show  ver\  plainly 
that  while  the  difference  in  soil  types  and  climatic  conditions  modifies 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  t  he  carrying  capacity  of  past  ures,  the  essen- 
tial difference  between  the  dairj  pastures  of  this  region  and  the  heel' 
pastures  described  is  more  largely  due  to  the  methods  of  management. 

RESULTS  OF  TOO  EARLY  GRAZING. 
The   best    cattle  grazers   have   learned    that    if    cattle   are   turned   on 

pastures  before  the  grass  gets  a  good  start,  or,  as  they  term  it,  "gets 
strong,"  and  i-  L'  or  :;  inches  high,  the  cattle  do  not  do  as  well  and 
the  pastures  are  greatly  retarded.  In  the  case  of  \Yw  England 
pastures,  stock  are  usually  turned  out  before  the  grass  gets  a  good 
Start,  and  more  cattle  are  kept  than  the  pastures  will  maintain, 
extra  feeding  in  the  barnyard  being  practiced. 

A  study  of  the  life  history  of  plants  shows  us  that  they  must  get 
a  considerable  Dumber  of  green  leaves  -tailed  in  order  to  make  any 
substantia]  growth.  If  the  green  parts  arc  kept  too  closely  grazed 
the  plants  <>f  uecessity  will  gro^  -lowly,  produce  very  little  feed, 
and  eventually  become  enfeebled  and  die  out.  In  spite  of  this 
fact  the  great  majority  of  eastern  farmers  consider  that  it  is  had 
lor  a  pasture  to  lei  thegrass  get  a  start,  believing  that  a  more  dense 
sod  is  obtained  by  close  grazing.  The  excellent  stands  of  <;rass 
obtained  in  many  of  the  southern  beef  pastures  where  the  grass  is 

allowed  to  get  ag I -tart  before  it  is  grazed  (PI.  LT,  fig.  2)  show  that 

this  -t atemenl  <\<>t^  not  hold  t  rue. 

RESULTS  OF  TOO  CLOSE  GRAZING. 

The  beef-cattle  men  have  learned  that  it  i-  very  unwise  for  them 
to  overstock  their  pasture-.      If  an  animal  is  to  he  gotten  fat  enough 

I'.' I 


6  IMPROVEMENT   OF   PASTURES   IN   EASTERN   NEW   YORK,   ETC. 

for  market  purposes  on  grass,  there  must  be  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
it.  (See  PI.  I,  fig.  2,  and  PL  II,  fig.  2.)  If  an  attempt  is  made  to 
carry  too  large  a  number,  the  animals  immediately  begin  to  lose  flesh. 
This  means  that  a  beef  pasture  can  not  be  profitably  grazed  to  a 
point  where  it  will  be  damaged. 

Many  dairymen  consider  thai  cattle  do  not  do  as  well  where  the 
grass  gets  tall.  It  is  true  that  if  grass  is  allowed  to  head  out  and  get 
woody  live  stock  do  not  relish  it.  The  best  stockmen  have  learned 
by  experience  that  whenever  grass  gets  ahead  of  the  cattle  it  is  an 
easy  matter  to  mow  the  tall  grass,  letting  it  lie  on  the  ground  as  a 
mulch.  This  allows  the  grass  to  again  send  up  a  fresh,  succulent 
growth,  the  pasture  and  the  cattle  both  being  benefited.  While 
stock  do  not  do  as  well  if  the  grass  is  too  old,  it  is  equally  true  that 
the  grass  must  be  given  a  chance  to  get  a  good  start. 

Many  New  England  farmers  believe  that  by  close  grazing  weeds 
can  be  kept  out.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  very  practice  gives  the 
weeds  a  better  start.  In  the  western  part  of  the  United  States, 
where  the  rainfall  is  much  less  than  in  the  East,  the  fact  that  over- 
grazing causes  weeds  to  become  more  abundant  has  been  very  defi- 
nitely proved.  In  California,  as  a  result  of  overgrazing,  the  original 
grasses  and  forage  plants  were  destroyed.  Their  places  were  taken 
by  other  plants  that  were  not  relished  by  live  stock,  these  plants 
gaining  ground  because  the  stock  did  not  eat  them  readily.  After 
the  more  valuable  forage  plants  disappeared,  the  stock  learned  to 
eat  the  plants  of  inferior  character.  These  in  turn  were  overgrazed 
and  disappeared,  their  places  being  taken  by  plants  having  still 
less  forage  value.  In  this  manner  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  Cali- 
fornia ranges  has  been  greatly  lowered  in  the  course  of  two  genera- 
tions." 

A  study  of  range  conditions  shows  that  whenever  a  dry  season 
occurs  if  there  is  not  enough  vegetation  to  make  a  good  ground 
cover,  as  is  the  case  with  the  pasture  shown  in  Plate  I,  figure  1,  the 
soil  dries  out  very  rapidly  and  many  plants  are  killed.  With  the 
advent  of  a  more  favorable  season  the  weeds  usually  take  their 
places.  This  condition  has  occurred  in  eastern  New  York  and  tin- 
New  England  States  during  the  seasons  of  190S  and  1009.  It  will 
be  even  more  strikingly  shown  in  1010  if  the  season  is  favorable  for 
plant  growth.  The  weeds  naturally  are  followed  by  brush  (PI.  II, 
fig.  1),  and  the  pasture  eventually  becomes  worthless.  Many  farmers, 
not  knowing  the  remedy,  take  no  steps  to  prevent  this  condition  of 
affairs.  They  consider  that  their  pastures  have  "just  naturally 
played  out"  and  I  hat   there  is  no  practical  remedy. 

"Bulletin  12,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture.     1902. 
[Clr.  19] 


.    U    S-  D.-pt 


Plate  II. 


Fig.  1.— Pastures  Grazed  Too  Closely,  and  as  a  Result  Fern,  "Ground  Hemlock/ 
and  Timber  have  taken  Possession. 


Mlfctt 


*& 


Fig.  2.— An   Ideal  Stand  of   White  Clover    and  Kentucky   Bluegrass  i June-Grass>, 
the  Result  of  Proper  Management. 


PASTURES    SHOWING    THE    RESULTS    OF    IMPROPER    AND     PROPER     USE. 


[IMPROVEMENT   OF   PASTURES    I  .\    I   \.-il.K.\    NEW    YORK,    I  7 

DETERIORATION  MOSTLY  DUE  TO  OVERGRAZING. 

The  deterioration  of  pastures  carrying  dairy  cattle  is  for  the  most 
part  due  i"  i""  close  grazing.  It  is  a  provision  of  nature  thai  per- 
ennial plants  store  up  food  in  their  roots,  which  is  used  by  them  when 
starting  a  fresh  growth  in  the  earlj  spring.  If  such  plants  arc  kepi 
Grazed  so  closeh  that  thev  are  unable  to  store  up  this  food  t  hc\  even- 
tnallv  become  enfeebled  and  die.  In  addition,  there  are  a  number 
of  other  conditions  resulting  from  close  grazing.  First,  close  grazing 
carried  on  over  a  period  of  years  results  in  a  heavy  loss  of  humus, 
which  is  necessary  for  plant  growth.  AJso,  when  a  pasture  is  grazed 
closely,  so  thai  there  is  no  plant  growth  to  form  a  mulch  (PI.  I, 
fig.  I),  the  evaporal  ion  is  very  greal .  Under  such  conditions  the  soil 
becomes  too  dry  for  the  maintenance  of  the  native  forage  plant.-,. 
lie  forage  plants  give  way,  drought-resisting  weeds  take  their 
places,  as  has  happened  in  the  pasture  shown  in  Plate  II.  figure  1. 
Again,  dairy  cattle  by  the  production  of  milk  take  more  from  such  a 
lire  than  they  return.  This  results  in  a  loss  of  plant  food,  which 
also  becomes  e\  idenl  after  a  period  of  years.  This  loss  of  plant  food 
is  much  less  than  in  the  case  of  a  hay  meadow  from  which  the  hay  is 
sold  year  after  year,  but  nevertheless  it   is  going  on  just  the  same. 

METHODS  OF  IMPROVING  PASTURES. 

There    are    numerous    areas    on    steep    sidchills,    where    the    soil    is 
naturally  thin  and  poor  and  where  there  is  much  danger  of  dan 
through  erosion,  that  should  never  have  been  cleared  of  timber.     If 
places  have  not   already   reverted  to  timber  they  should  be 
i  -i ri\  a-  soon  as  possible.0  « 

The  increased  price  of  western  grain  will  probably  require  the 
ii  farmer  to  go  back  to  the  old  plan  of  raising  a  considerable 
part,  if  not  all,  of  hi--  concentrates.  Under  such  conditions  the  pas- 
ture will  play  a.  very  important  part,  as  it  does  in  Europe,6  in  farm- 
ing operations.  This  can  he  done  by  better  systems  of  handling 
stock,  in  order  to  prevent  too  early  grazing  and  overstocking;  also 
by  fertilization,  cultivation,  reseeding,  and  the  eradication  of  weed--. 

As  this  deterioration  has  been  going  on  for  a  long  time  the  restora- 
tion can  nut  he  accomplished  in  one  year.  Based  on  results  obtained 
in  similar  work  elsewhere  it  is  \er\  probable  that  the  improvement 
can  ordinarily  he  accomplished  in  from  three  to  five  years  with  a 
comparative!}  -mall  outlay  of  money. 


formation  relative  to  rating  of  such  areas  can  I  d  by  writing  to 

ih«'  I  ce,  U.  S.  De]  ure. 

i>*i-v  Bulletin  1 10,  Illinois  Agricu 
[Or.  i'J] 


8  IMPROVEMENT  OF  PASTURES  IN  EASTERN   NEW  YORK,  ETC. 

THE    PREVENTION    OF   OVERGRAZING. 

A  very  essential  point  in  the  improvement  of  worn-out  pastures  is 
the  prevention  of  overgrazing.  If  a  pasture  is  to  be  improved  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  the  grass  be  given  a  chance  to  make  a  good 
healthy  growth  and  that  some  of  the  plants  be  allowed  to  produce 
seed.  This  can  be  done  by  reducing  the  number  of  stock  or  by 
giving  the  cattle  additional  forage  to  supplement  the  pasture. 

THE    PREVENTION    OF   TOO    EARLY    PASTURING. 

One  of  the  most  harmful  practices  in  New  York  and  the  New 
England  States  is  that  of  turning  the  cattle  on  pasture  too  early  in 
the  season.  In  a  great  many  instances  if  the  cattle  were  kept  off  for 
an  additional  week  or  ten  days  the  pasture  would  produce  far  more 
feed  during  the  entire  season  and  would  carry  more  stock.  The 
grass  should  be  given  a  sufficient  start  to  allow  enough  green-leaf 
surface  for  the  manufacture  of  the  necessary  substances  utilized 
in  its  growth.  If  the  grass  is  not  given  this  chance  its  growth  will 
of  necessity  be  very  slow  and  limited. 

The  turning  of  stock  on  a  pasture  wliile  the  ground  is  wet  and 
inclined  to  be  "punchy"  is  also  a  very  bad  practice,  especially  on  a 
clay  soil.  The  continuous  trampling  results  in  packing  the  soil  so 
hard  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  plant  roots  to  penetrate  between  the 
soil  particles  and  get  the  necessary  plant  food.  This  packing  also 
prevents  the  absorption  of  air  and  water  by  the  soil. 

FERTILIZING. 

Investigations  carried  on  during  the  summer  of  1909  show  that  one 
of  the  most  essential  points  in  pasture  improvement  is  fertilizing. 
A  close  inspection  of  eastern  pastures  shows  them  to  be  lacking  in 
humus.  The  best  remedy  for  this  trouble  is  barnyard  manure.  An 
excellent  way  of  building  up  a  pasture  is  to  haul  on  the  field  whatever 
supplementary  feed  is  given  the  cattle,  placing  it  on  the  highest 
points.  This  method  is  used  with  greal  success  in  the  corn  belt,  and 
also  in  many  parts  of  the  Southern  States.  If  the  distance  from  the 
pasture  to  the  dairy  barns  or  to  the  fields  where  the  supplementary 
Iced  is  grown  is  too  great  to  make  this  method  practicable,  the  land 
can  be  top-dressed  with  manure.  Much  better  results  will  be  ob- 
tained if  a  light  top-dressing  is  used  for  three  or  four  years  in  suc- 
cession, or  longer,  than  if  a  large  quantity  of  manure  is  put  on  the 
land  in  one  season.  Experiments  have  proved  definitely  that  rela- 
tively a  much  greater  value  is  received  from  the  manure  when  it  is 
used  often  and  in  small  quantities  than  when  a  large  amount  is  used 
at  one  time. 

[Cir.  49] 


[MPR0VEMEN1    OF   PASTURES   I-\    EASTERN    NEW    STORK,    I  9 

On  those  areas  where  it  is  impossible  to  take  a  wagon,  commercial 
fertilizers  can  be  used  to  excellent  advantage.  Fertilizers  contain- 
ing principally  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  would  probably  give  the 
best  results.  It  is  also  probable  that  a  small  quantity  of  such  ferti- 
lizers could  be  used  advantageously  in  connect  ion  with  manure. 

lame  should  also  lie  used,  especially  on  the  low  pastures  that  are 
not  well  drained.  However,  it  should  not  he  applied  at  the  same 
time  as  the  manure  or  the  commercial  fertilizer.  If  manure  or  ferti- 
lizer is  applied  in  the  spring  the  lime  would  probably  give  better 
returns  if  put  on  the  previous  fall. 

(    I    I  TIVATIOX. 

Wherever  a  pasture  is  smooth  enough  and  sufficiently  free  from 

ics  to  be  plowed,  the  besl   plan  will  he  to  plow    the  land  and  grow 

cultivated  crops  on  it  for  two  or  three  years,  or  until  the  weeds  have 

been  killed.     It  can  then  he  seeded  down  and  if  properly  handled  will 

soon  become  an  excellent   permanent   pasture. 

Under  the  average  New  England  pasture  conditions,  plowing  is 
not  possible.  The  ureal  majority  of  pastures  in  this  region  are  on  side- 
hills  that  are  too  steep  for  profitable  cultivation  or  else  are  loo  full  of 
rocks  to  permit  economic  farming.  Cultivation  in  such  cases  will 
consist  of  using  a  disk,  spring-tooth,  or  peg  harrow,  depending  on 
which  one  i-,  best  adapted  to  individual  conditions  or  easiest  to  ob- 
tain. The  cultivation  will  consist  of  loosening  the  old  sod  and  form- 
ing a  sort  of  mulch  to  prevent  too  great  evaporation  and  to  cover 
whatever  native  seed  there  ma\  chance  to  he.  The  harrow  will  also 
he  of  great  value  in  pulverizing  the  droppings  and  distributing  them 
more  evenly,  thus  greatly  increasing  their  value.  In  many  instances 
cultivation  can  he  practiced  only  in  connection  with  reseeding  or  the 
use  of  fertilizers.  Where  reseeding  is  practiced  and  the  land  is  too 
rocky  for  the  use  of  farm  implements  the  seed  can  he  worked  into  the 
ground  l>\  the  use  of  brush  harrows. 

Kl  SEEDING. 

In  many  instances  reseeding  will  greatly  quicken  the  process  of 

restoration.  If  a  fanner  desires  to  reseed  his  pasture  a  mixture  of 
timothy,  red-top,  bluegrass,  and  while  clover  will  he  the  most  prac- 
tical oik'.  The  timothy  will  give  the  quickest  returns,  hut  will  run 
out  after  three  or  four  years.  It  will  last  long  enough  to  give  the 
other  grasses,  which  require  about  three  years,  time  to  become 
established.  This  seed  can  he  broadcasted  by  hand,  or  the  method 
of  a  very  successful  New  York  farmer  of  always  spreading  a  lew 
ounces  of  seed  over  the  top  of  his  loaded  manure  spreader  when  top- 
dressing  his  meadows  and  pastures  can  he  followed  advantageously. 

[Tlr.  19] 


10       IMPROVEMENT  OF   PASTURES  IN   EASTERN    NEW  YORK,  ETC. 
THE    ERADICATION    OF    WEEDS. 

Whenever  a  pasture  is  top  rough  to  permit  bringing  it  under  cul- 
tivation, other  methods  of  weed  eradication  will  be  necessary.  A 
large  percentage  of  the  weeds  can  be  destroyed  if  they  are  cut  with  a 
scythe  just  before  they  go  to  seed  and,  if  possible,  at  their  period  of 
lowest  vitality.  Some  of  the  more  dangerous  weeds  that  can  not 
be  killed  in  this  manner  will  have  to  be  dug  out  with  a  hoe  or  pulled 
by  hand.  The  best  cattle  graziers  in  the  Southern  States  find  that 
if  they  go  over  their  pastures  once  or  twice  a  year  and  destroy  the 
more  dangerous  weeds  they  have  very  little  trouble  from  this  cause. 

SUMMARY. 

(1)  The  pastures  of  eastern  Xew  York  and  the  New  England 
States  have  deteriorated  greatly. 

(2)  In  direct  contrast,  beef  pastures  in  other  parts  of  the  country 
of  the  same  age  are  in  as  good  condition  as  originally. 

(3)  In  the  corn  belt  badly  worn  land  is  built  up  by  using  it  as  a 
pasture  and  feeding  on  it. 

(4)  Graziers  of  beef  cattle  have  learned  by  experience  that  too 
early  grazing  is  harmful. 

(5)  Graziers  have  also  learned  thai  close  grazing  does  not  pay. 

(6)  A  study  of  their  life  history  shows  that  plants  must  be  allowed 
sufficient  green-leaf  surface  to  manufacture  plant  food.  If  this  is 
not  done  the  plants  will  produce  very  little  feed  and  will  die. 

(7)  Too  close  grazing  gives  opportunity  for  dangerous  weeds  to 
become  established. 

(8)  The  deterioration  of  pastures  in  New  York  and  Xew  England  is 
mostly  due  to  close  grazing,  because  (1)  this  prevents  perennial 
plants  storing  the  food  necessary  for  starting  in  spring;  (2)  it  results 
in  a  heavy  loss  of  humus;  (3)  it  makes  the  ground  too  dry  for  the 
maintenance  of  native  forage  plants;  and  (4)  it  causes  a  considerable 
loss  of  plant  food  from  the  soil. 

(9)  These  conditions  can  be  remedied  by  (1)  the  prevention  of 
overgrazing;  (2)  the  prevention  of  too  early  grazing:  (3)  fertilizing; 
(4)  cultivating;  (5)  reseeding;  and  (6)  the  eradication  of  weeds. 

Approved : 

James  Wilson, 

Si  cii  hi  iu  •>/  Ain'uiiltnri . 

Washington,  D.  C,  January  S,  W10. 

[Cir.  49] 

o 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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